


The Breakfast Date

by Mistressfaith



Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: Bakery Date, Buried Trauma, Comfort, F/M, Gift, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:35:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28634091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistressfaith/pseuds/Mistressfaith
Summary: Detective Quinn insists on eating in town instead of the warehouse, so Agent du Mortain has taken it upon himself to accompany her.
Relationships: Female Detective/Adam du Mortain, Maxine Quinn/Adam du Mortain
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	The Breakfast Date

**Author's Note:**

  * For [witchqueencirce](https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchqueencirce/gifts).



> This is a super duper late gift for the wonderful and patient @tamlinn. I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get this out to you, but I hope you enjoy! I also hope I didnt butcher Maxine too much haha

December in Wayhaven is quite unlike anything Commanding Agent Adam du Mortain has ever seen in his very long years. The roads are covered in a thin sheet of ice and snow, the storm having come without warning and Wayhaven's City Hall had been unprepared to deal with the treacherous conditions. Even now, cars are parked on the curb, some lights flashing as their occupants call for assistance from the local towing company while others are merely abandoned altogether. The sidewalks are topped with fluffy snow nearly three inches deep, making the already ridiculous cobblestone paths of the Square even more treacherous. 

Despite the conditions, however, Adam and the rest of Unit Bravo must continue their patrols, especially in current circumstances. Adam clenches his fist, an image of the newest members of the small town community taking residence in his mind's eye. 

It had been only a week since the arrival of the family of vampires and they had made no poor impression on the town, nor the Agency. In fact, when met with the normal protocols, this vampiric family were more than welcoming, apparently inviting Nate and Farah in for tea and biscuits and 'delightful conversation'. Still, Adam was wary of this family; what with the Trapper bounty and Detective Quinn's enticing blood, it was best to er on the side of caution. 

And if joining the Detective for breakfast was the only way to keep an eye on her then so be it. 

"Anything for you, sweetie?" 

Adam turns to the Baker, her cheeks rosy from her work behind the counter. Haley has, once again, altered the layout and decor of her establishment, trading the warm browns and oranges of autumn for silvers and pastel blues and pinks. Fairy lights hang from the high ceiling, giving an almost ethereal feel to the bakery when combined with the light pink and white tablecloths, the smattering of faux snowfall on the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the white pine tree in the corner of the room. 

Ignoring the endearment (which still disturbs Adam even after the months of hearing it from the Baker), Adam says, "No, thank you." Then, because he cannot help himself - which is something he has come to merely accept whenever he is in the company of Detective Quinn - he continues, "Does constantly altering the layout and decor of your establishment truly make any difference?" He sweeps a hand across the room. "I cannot imagine the extra work you do is beneficial when you already seem the busiest business in town."

Maxine rests her hand on her forehead, leaning against the countertop. She had insisted Adam didn't need to join her for breakfast - she was perfectly capable of handling herself and Haley's was in the center of town, only an idiot would try to kidnap her with all the witnesses - and his...mannerisms could be a little off-putting to the people of Wayhaven. 

Haley, however, doesn't seem the slightest bit disconcerted and smiles. "I enjoy the work, making this place my own. The people in town seem to enjoy it, too." Then, with a half-smile, she adds, "Change is good, you know, Commanding Agent du Mortain."

Adam gives a look of skepticism, but he nods his head anyway. 

Maxine grabs her breakfast and coffee, thanks Haley, and moves to sit at a secluded table near the back of the room. Adam moves to stand beside the table, eyes scanning the vicinity, sharp as ever. Max rolls her eyes and bites into her sandwich - egg and ham from what Adam's heightened sense of smell can determine, with a touch of...honey?

"You've changed your meal." It isn't a question. 

Maxine stops mid-bite, a few crumbs clinging to the corner of her mouth and Adam makes it a point to not stare too long at the fullness of her lips. "You know my order?"

Adam doesn't meet her gaze, instead watching the first flakes of snow begin to flutter gently to the earth as a flush begins to creep up his neck. Finally, he says, "It is important to know details about the people one works with, especially given our line of work."

"And knowing what I eat is important, how?

"You could be a Shifter."

Maxine snorts, choking on her food and taking a large drink of her coffee to clear the obstruction. When she has righted herself, Max asks, "A Shifter? Really?"

"Yes. Really." Adam turns back to Maxine and folds his arms across his broad chest. "You're blood is powerful and in high demand, or do you not remember the bounty placed on your head?"

"Hard to forget when you remind me every ten minutes," she mutters around another mouthful, not meeting his piercing gaze.

Adam pulls the wooden chair - painted a soft shade of off-white - from the table and sits, leaning to rest his forearms on the surface with hands folded together. "I remind you, Maxine, because you are important to me- the team. Important to the team." He clears his throat, unable to look too long into Maxine's entrancing evergreen eyes for risk of being lost to their depths forever. "I do not wish for you to be taken from us again." A pause. "From me."

Maxine raises her head at this, her meal forgotten as the words leave Adam's mouth, their meaning whispering sweet nothings as he meets her gaze. Evergreen and emerald, colors of spring, of rebirth and new beginnings. And yes, there is definitely something to the way Adam's usual piercing gaze has softened to something more adoring and Maxine has to swallow down the lump in her throat at the intensity of it all.

She clears her throat. "You don't have to worry about that. I won't let it happen again." She forces a smile that doesn't convince even herself and takes a final bite of her breakfast to distract herself from the memories that have begun to resurface. 

_ Cold metal under warm skin- _

Max tenses her jaw and takes a final swig of her coffee.

_ Tubes of red creating white-hot agony- _

Her nails dig into the palm of her hand.

_ Maniacal laughter and the glinting of teeth- _

A large hand covers her own, shocking Maxine from her waking nightmare and grounding her. She looks up and sees concern in Adam's eyes; he gives her a gentle squeeze and it's only then that Max realizes how soft his hands are, how comforting his touch is, how her heart gives a hard  _ thump _ when his thumb draws circles over her skin, gently coaxing her fingers to relax. 

The bakery fades to a blur around them as their eyes say what they themselves cannot and  _ oh  _ the words they say.

But, of course, it doesn't last.

Adam clears his throat first, drawing back and closing his fingers into a loose fist, avoiding the Detective's overwhelming gaze. She had been frightened, he knew, and he had only meant to help ease her anxieties, yet the effect she has on him is becoming almost too much to bare. He could spend hours looking into her eyes, his gaze dancing between them and her lips, completely lost to the world around him as everything boils down to just him and her. 

But he must keep her safe first and foremost before he can allow himself such fantasies. He won't let her be taken from him again. 

And so, Adam pushes his growing feelings for the detective down and busies himself explaining the current vampire situation, making it a point to avoid her gaze. 

Maxine sighs.  _ Same old same old _ .


End file.
